Refuting the Idea of “Neutral”: Supporting Civic Engagement & Information in the Library
Friday, March 23, 2018, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Pennsylvania Convention Center, 103 AB
Amidst coverage of Black Lives Matter and Standing Rock, Skokie (IL) Public Library developed the Civic Lab to facilitate engagement with topics in the news. This civic engagement builds awareness of important topics and provides access to curated resources and information. This session will explore how the Civic Lab goes beyond library collections to engage patrons in issues affecting the community and offers a responsive model for supporting civic engagement and information in the library.
At the end of this session, participants will:
1: Identify strategies and topics for engaging the public in thought-provoking ideas and dialogue beyond traditional programming 2: Design civic engagement opportunities for a range of library audiences that are relevant to the community and developmentally appropriate 3: Engage library staff at all levels in civic engagement initiatives across the library
The session organizer(s) identified this session as appropriate for:
Level 2: People with some knowledge, who want to increase their understanding.
This session will have: Medium interaction (example: single speaker/panel with questions or discussion throughout)
Handouts: Download 1 Download 2 Download 3 Download 4
Track: Imagine
Tags: Spaces and Places, Civic Engagement, Facilitation, Intellectual Freedom and Ethics, Public Programs, Transforming Libraries
Presenters
Amy Koester, Youth & Family Program Supervisor
Skokie Public Library , Skokie , IL
Amy Koester is the Youth & Family Program Supervisor at Skokie Public Library, where she oversees all aspects of youth programming and outcomes measurement. She also spends a portion of her time working on the library's civic engagement initiatives. Amy is a board member for the Association for Library Service to Children as well as a member of the advisory council for the Our Voices Chicago initiative.
Amy Holcomb, Experiential Learning Supervisor
Skokie Public Library , Skokie , IL
Amy manages the BOOMbox, Skokie Public Library's STEAM space that features a different theme every few months. She is a 2014 Library Journal Mover & Shaker and values the DIY (do it yourself) and DIT (do it together) approaches to learning.
Mimosa Shah, Adult Program Coordinator
Skokie Public Library , Skokie , IL
Mimosa Shah is Adult Program Coordinator at Skokie Public Library, where she develops, manages, and evaluates programs for adult patrons, and frequently partners with local organizations to cultivate community-centered learning experiences. Previously, she served as the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a consortium of small ethnic museums and cultural centers, where she developed and implemented capacity-building programs for member organizations.